Pardue Talks of Venice Median Project

By Kip Pardue, whose house abuts the project

I, too, am tired of being made to feel immoral or somehow “wrong” for not embracing this project as it currently stands. The powers-that-be regarding the median project continually surround themselves with blind ideologues who wrap the discussion in gentrification, rich vs. poor, and diversity. Their stories all align to scratch their own itches – spinning stories of homeless families and the “good” they are spreading. While doing this, that group tends to lose the forest for the trees – or possibly the other way around depending on your viewpoint.

I am not against the idea of a development behind my home – I have been clear about this from the beginning (which can be seen from my post many months ago about my meeting with Bonin – and if you do go back and read that, please notice how many things he said 9 months ago – BEFORE developers were chosen, BEFORE the feasibility study was completed, BEFORE HHH passed – have come to pass). I am not against PSH and/or low income units sharing a wall with my property. What I am NOT FOR is supporting the type of thinking that this is somehow about “solving homelessness.” Anything that is being built on this site for the associated costs is about ego, handouts, and greed. It is clear by any metric that this is not the best use of funds to solely combat homelessness. That being said, I do feel there is a place for this type of development here and my list of desires should not be seen as “anti-homeless” or “gentrification.”

I have been part of several meetings with Becky Dennison and EOMA. I find them to be smart and available and positive. What surprised me most about the presentation as it now stands is that not much has seemed to change from Becky’s initial proposal laid out by the RFP. While I have not seen a hard copy of that proposal (it is not public), she spelt out her initial ideas to me in December of 2016. The idea was between 90 and 140 units with interior parking structures on both the east and west of the site using the canal as a divider. This was BEFORE any work with Eric Owen Moss Architects yet the proposal we see now is EXACTLY that. This type of rigid thought is concerning. I am afraid that the process is being run not by creative and skilled professionals or by the desires of the community but by VCH’s few hand-picked proxies. While there were certainly nice nods to some of the ideas I personally have suggested, I feel they were cursory and almost limited.

As things get more detailed and specific, I will have more desires and hopefully will be pleased with new ideas presented. But for now, I have a few thoughts on the presentation that I would like to list publicly.

First of all, can someone please make the PDF of the presentation viewable on a website? I think we have that technology. Please don’t make everyone download it. It should be easy to access for everyone. Awareness of this project is SHOCKINGLY LOW. The younger people of Venice – who most of the VCH supporters see with disdain despite their repeated cries of how they love diversity and are super super tolerant – are just not engaged. THAT HAS TO CHANGE. I blame myself as well. I will continue to activate the Venice that I see on a daily basis (far different than the Venice that shows up to these meetings).

The next immediate gripe is the density. This has nothing to do with WHO is living here – 140 units (which may or may not mean multi-bedrooms for the non-PSH units) is just too much. N Venice Blvd gets crushed with traffic nearly every sunny day in the summer, especially the weekends. When you add in these new people, it will be devastating for traffic – vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian. I have asked that the lights at N Venice and S Venice be addressed – scramble lights like what is going in at Washington and Pacific, but this is only a first step in mitigation. Becky continues to say that one bus running down Pacific is enough for access to public transit, but I think it is ridiculous to call this area “accessible” by public transit. I have taken the bus to LAX and it took me over 1.5 hours. These are the EXACT arguments that nearly every single person in the room on Thursday night would make against this project if it were not labelled “homeless housing.” The people who have fought (and won) against development in Venice – the same people who created much of the housing crisis in Venice – are now supporting a project they have sued and opposed and shut down countless times. Their cries usually sound like this: “Too big!” “Too ugly!” “Too out of scale!” “Too much traffic!!” I am not sure why they are all embracing a project that – regardless of who lives there – will impact the neighborhood in exactly the same way.

Another problem I have – and have had for several months and brought up to Becky and EOMA – is the tremendous burden the parking is on this project. I have not gotten exact numbers, but the footprint of the two parking structures seems to be 70% of the site. Underground parking is a MUST for this project. The parking lots for the public must be privately financed. HHH funds cannot legally be used to build them. Therefore, funding should be secured to build underground parking. Why not sell, say, 10 luxury units to finance underground parking? The added space created will leave more than enough room for units of this type and also possibly open up more green space and opportunity for more retail. It IS possible to go underground here, it’s just expensive. But it MUST be done.

The retail component is also a concern for me. There was a lot of talk of Homeboy Industries and the like. While these are great ideas for the Boardwalk, this are IS NOT the Boardwalk. I do not want the Boardwalk extended into the more residential stretch along Venice Blvd. While I do not think we should have incredibly high end retail, I do think it makes sense to create foot traffic that is bustling and positive and elevating. We don’t need more t-shirts or sunglasses. I have always had a desire for a Grand Central Market type atmosphere along the canal with a permanent farmers’ market and food stalls. I think we must be VERY careful with what retail goes in. With the right kind of attractions, the development will feel alive and beneficial. We cannot let a select few dictate the fate of this street’s future.

Which brings me to my final (initial) concern. Security and the surrounding area. I have told Becky this countless times as well and she simply will not oblige: Please acknowledge that we have a problem in Venice – specifically by this development – that is NOT one of homelessness but one of “travelers” and “crusties.” They commit crimes and create meth camps of unimaginable filth. They hassle residents and tourists and break into cars and homes regularly (including my own). We have RV’s and vans from all over the country taking over our streets. These are different from the homeless who will be helped by this development. They are a problem and one that will not be tolerated any longer. This development team should go the extra mile and guarantee that all of this behavior will be stamped out. The meth camp that is Mildred will be gone. The vans and RV’s along S Venice will be gone. The tents at It’Sugar will be permanently removed. I really don’t think it’s too much to ask of a multi-million dollar development.

As we get further along in this process, I will certainly have more thoughts -both broad and for me and my immediate neighbors, and I hope that they will continue to be addressed.

I will also be starting a legal fund with some neighbors to raise resources to make sure our voices are heard. The bubble that the VCH/Mike Bonin/ crew lives in needs to be popped and legal means will almost certainly be necessary to achieve that. I will provide more information in due time.

I still believe that this project could truly be great and beneficial for Venice. I just want to make sure that ALL of Venice is engaged and we are not steamrolled by a select few who spew hate while claiming to be altruistic.

Comments (7)

I guess the residents agree with the newly minted, reelected incumbent who received 70% of the vote. Keep on supporting the same people over and over again and these are the results. Elections have consequences.

You can spend the money on new housing for poor people and the homeless, or you can spend it on a football stadium or a golf course. The cause of homelessness in Venice is the lack of housing plane and simple. The democratic process has been evoked and the people of CD11 have spoken.

OK Billy, I agree with you on the cause. But comparing the placement of most of the housing and social services in one little three square mile corner of CD11 for the ALL OF LA is not fair to the residents. The only answer anyone seems to come up with is, “Suck it up or move.” OK, build the housing for the few, what is planned for the many? Street camping and shower vans? Some communication about this from the Council Office would be nice.

“This development should only be allowed if it also comes with a guarantee that the transients, RVs and drug use will not be tolerated.” – We have been down this road before and after all these years it is clear that there will be NO enforcement of anything. Bonin was not taking any input prior to this election. His win will embolden him to do what he wants without input.

Recent Comments

Rick Swinger { Listen Up! Pollution effects Everybody! Thats includes you Billy and me and the homeless etc. We are all in the same boat here. You don't have to have a degree in Biology to understand thats Rats have killed more people than any other rodent and we have lots of them... } – 2405 9:25 AM

Billy Bathgate { NIMBY is too polite a term for the likes of arrogant pretentious jerks like you. In fact there is no word for the likes of people like you that wouldn't be censored by the owner of this site so I'll just have to save it for if we ever meet... } – 2405 6:49 AM

{ Bonin was elected by the very people who live in other areas of CD 11 and who benefit by placing ALL of the adversity in Venice. That said, had Bonin proposed this "Home of the homeless" BS (as well as the stupid "road diet" during his re-election campaign, the people... } – 2305 10:03 AM

Billy Bathgate { Elections have consequences Kip. Your homeless hating candidate for City Council didn't win. And the people of Los Angeles voted to pony up and do something about getting the homeless of L.A. off the sidewalks and into housing. Now would be a good time for your side to shut up.... } – 2205 7:49 PM

Nick Antonicello { The only way to get out of the bureaucratic clutches of LA, Garcetti and Bonin is to support cityhood for Venice. Our own Mayor and Council directly elected by Venetians with a land use body with teeth that can restrict such impositions by the far larger LA. Does Garcetti or... } – 2205 11:36 AM

Billy Bathgate { Nothing wrong with me but there is definitely something wrong with all of you who do nothing but complain 24/7 about the homeless and then oppose every move to get them housed so they won't be homeless anymore. Iflily white Brentwood or Pacific Palisades is your idea of an ideal... } – 2105 3:20 PM

{ Billy, poor is poor - These folks are drunk, drugged and/or crazy. That is what makes them "poor." Once again, anyone who opposes the crap that is going on in Venice either hates the "poor" or is a "racist" for not wanting a dangerous and possibly contagious population of "travelers"... } – 2105 1:31 PM

Will { I think you said everything. Thanks for your support. } – 2105 1:08 PM

Publius { not gonna read your press release for yourself Hawkins; it's a calculated distraction, responds to nothing; you've intentionally missed opportunities to observe what others have now had to multiply document, and that documentation is as stunning as your WILLful (ignorance) Hawkins. You and do not merit a response to your... } – 2105 11:51 AM

Will { One cannot compare the work done by a faith-based group working full time with city funds with a bunch of elected volunteers working part time with community donations. The work done by the Venice Homeless Committee is unprecedented and has gone well beyond its duties to this community in housing... } – 2105 9:57 AM

{ I LOVE that they posted them. But these homeless folks will ignore them UNLESS they get arrested on a daily basis. LAPD needs to assert their power. Its a psychological game that the neighborhood and LAPD are starting to WIN against the homeless and their hypocritical "advocates" that don't live... } – 2105 9:21 AM